Are you a soldier defending a fortress or a scout mapping the land?

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 20 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Our brains often default to a defensive posture, treating our beliefs like fortified positions to be guarded. This mindset can blind us to reality. To make better decisions, we must shift from the reflexive actions of a soldier to the curious, objective observation of a scout.

Julia Galef proposes a cognitive framework to understand how we process information: the soldier versus the scout. The soldier mindset is defined by high adrenaline and deeply ingrained reflexes. In this mode, the primary goal is protection—defending your own side and defeating the perceived enemy. When we operate as soldiers, we interpret information through the lens of our existing beliefs, seeking to reinforce our positions rather than explore the truth. This can lead to a cycle where we dismiss any contradictory evidence as an attack.

In contrast, the scout mindset is defined by curiosity and the desire for accuracy. A scout’s role is not to attack or defend, but to map the terrain and identify obstacles. The scout wants to know what is actually out there as clearly as possible. Good judgment, according to Galef, depends on the ability to switch into this mindset. It requires a conscious choice to prioritize seeing the world clearly over the emotional yearning to be right or to protect a specific viewpoint.

The consequences of choosing the soldier mindset over the scout mindset are illustrated by the 1894 Dreyfus Affair in 19th-century France. French military officers, operating with a soldier's reflex, became obsessed with finding a traitor after discovering a torn-up paper in a wastepaper basket. Because the army was highly anti-Semitic, their suspicions converged on Alfred Dreyfus, the only Jewish officer at his rank. They ignored his sterling record and the fact that professional handwriting experts were unconfident in their findings. Instead, they interpreted the lack of evidence in his apartment as proof of his 'sneakiness,' demonstrating how a defensive mindset can create a self-reinforcing loop of confirmation bias.

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